The familiarity deepened. Zhong Shenxiu and the others were finally returning! After the recent negotiation, Zhong Shenxiu had achieved another massive haul, this time demanding books instead of money! He had practically emptied an entire library, securing hundreds of thousands of volumes covering an immense breadth of knowledge!
The group’s return journey was noticeably quicker than their outbound trip, perhaps due to their elevated spirits! Although Wayne and the others hadn't benefited directly—Zhong Shenxiu had even reclaimed the remaining scrolls they possessed—they were ecstatic because they had truly made a splash! Who would have ever imagined that just a few of them dared to storm the "Di Li Gan Arcane Academy," settle scores, and turn the place upside down, earning immense prestige for the "Jia Li Dun Arcane Academy"! They scoffed internally, wondering who would dare look down upon members of the "Jia Li Dun Arcane Academy" now, or who would dare cause trouble needlessly!
Wayne and his companions walked with an air of swagger, chests puffed out, every one of them resembling soldiers returning from a triumphant campaign! As they neared the Academy gates, Zhong Shenxiu suddenly stopped, turned to Wayne and the others, and announced, "I'm giving you three days off. Rest well." With that, he departed with Robin! Zhong Shenxiu was clearly impatient to pore over the books he had just acquired; escorting Wayne and the others here was generosity enough!
“Farewell, Teacher!” Wayne and the others called out almost in unison, bowing deeply toward Zhong Shenxiu’s retreating figure!
The night passed in silence; we turn now to the next day! Although the events transpired the previous night, news of the attack on the "Di Li Gan Arcane Academy" spread like wildfire, and the high-ranking officials of the "Jia Li Dun Arcane Academy" received the intelligence instantly! Having fought against the "Di Li Gan Arcane Academy" for so many years, they had long since planted informants within their rival’s ranks, ensuring vital information was relayed through clandestine channels!
“The ‘Di Li Gan Arcane Academy’ was truly attacked?” The other department heads murmured in shock upon hearing the Vice Principal’s account! They had been urgently summoned that morning for an emergency meeting, knowing something major was afoot, but never imagining their old rivals had been assaulted—it was almost unbelievable!
“There is absolutely no mistake about this; I have verified it. The ‘Di Li Gan Arcane Academy’ was not just attacked; they suffered devastating losses. There are thousands injured, with more than half being critical cases. However, there has been no word of fatalities yet!” the Vice Principal stated, forcing himself to remain calm! He had only just received the news himself and had nearly collapsed when he first heard it, taking a long moment to recover! Considering the "Di Li Gan Arcane Academy" was an institution on par with their own, perhaps even boasting superior security measures, the fact that they were overrun in a single night was staggering!
“How could such a thing happen? Have the culprits been apprehended?” one department head inquired curiously!
“No!” the Vice Principal replied succinctly! This elicited another collective gasp from the room! After they quieted down slightly, the Vice Principal continued, “While the perpetrators haven't been caught, we already know who is responsible.” He then cast a meaningful glance toward Leander!
Leander hadn't noticed; he was preoccupied with speculating who possessed the sheer audacity to cause chaos at the "Di Li Gan Arcane Academy"! Most others shared his sentiment, already beginning to theorize which mercenary group might be behind it!
It was at this moment that the Vice Principal spoke again, delivering a statement that stunned everyone into silence! “Those who went to attack the ‘Di Li Gan Arcane Academy’ were none other than people from our Academy.” As he said this, the Vice Principal seemed to grow agitated once more! It was understandable; having been suppressed by the "Di Li Gan Arcane Academy" for years, the tables had finally turned, and the "Jia Li Dun Arcane Academy" was emerging as the dominant force!
“This… this is impossible!” The other department heads vociferously denied it. “There must be some mistake!” They couldn't fathom anyone from their own ranks having such capability, nor could they believe anyone would needlessly provoke an attack on the "Di Li Gan Arcane Academy"!
However, there was one exception among them: Leander! The moment the Vice Principal finished speaking, the image of Zhong Shenxiu inexplicably flashed in his mind! He had witnessed Zhong Shenxiu unleash his power and knew only he possessed both the courage and the capability to execute such an act; he couldn't conceive of anyone else!
“Principal, please tell us who it was!”
“Yes, I certainly can't guess who has such strength!”
“Principal, you didn't personally lead the raid, did you?”
In an instant, all eyes converged back on the Vice Principal! He didn't wish to keep them in suspense and immediately declared, “I certainly don't have that much—”
“Class Four?” The others blinked in confusion. “You mean the noble class?”
The Vice Principal nodded, directing his gaze toward Leander!
“How is that possible! We’ve seen those students from Class Four! While they achieved decent results in the ‘Freshman Tournament,’ no matter how skilled they are, they couldn't possibly overcome the defenses of the ‘Di Li Gan Arcane Academy’!”
“Could it be that the Class Four students mobilized their families’ influence, sending in heavy forces…?”
“You need not speculate further!” the Vice Principal cut off the rising tide of discussion. “From what I know, the only people who went to the ‘Di Li Gan Arcane Academy’ last night were those Class Four students and their teacher!”
“Just a few people?”
“Perhaps we have been underestimating the strength of that ‘Teacher Zhong’ too much,” the Vice Principal murmured thoughtfully, his gaze once again settling on Leander!
Leander met the Principal’s eyes and flinched slightly, asking with an unusual tone, “Did the people from the ‘Di Li Gan Arcane Academy’ attempt to capture them?”
“No!” The Vice Principal shook his head slowly. “This is what puzzles me the most. Despite suffering such massive losses, they swallowed the insult and even blocked news of the incident from getting out that night!” Logically, even if the "Di Li Gan Arcane Academy" didn't come to arrest them personally, they would certainly send representatives to pressure them into handing the attackers over. Yet, reality was far from expected; what exactly transpired was difficult to fathom!
As everyone fell into thoughtful silence once more, the Vice Principal muttered to himself, “It seems we should consider raising Teacher Zhong’s compensation package again!”
Time passed swiftly, and another week was gone! During these seven days, Zhong Shenxiu had not visited the Academy even once! He now possessed hundreds of thousands of books, so there was no longer any need to frequent the library! Wayne and the others maintained their usual routines, attending to their studies at the appointed hours, and the school leadership never approached them for a discussion! The rumors about the attack on the "Di Li Gan Arcane Academy" were still heard occasionally, but the group merely smiled in response, never revealing the truth! It was enough for the few of them to know the real story!
On this particular day, Ma Kexin lay in her dorm room staring at the ceiling, feeling utterly bored! A whole week had passed since Elena left that day, and she still hadn't returned, which left Ma Kexin quite depressed! Elena had promised to be back shortly, so why the sudden leave of absence? And Laurent had taken leave too—what on earth was going on?
As Ma Kexin pondered these mysteries, a knock suddenly sounded at the door, followed by the announcement that a man claiming to be her father was waiting for her at the reception office!
So, Ma Kexin proceeded to the reception office with confusion and bewilderment, and sure enough, she spotted her father! This process seemed remarkably similar to when Elena met Old Danny back then! Sigh!
“Dad, why are you here?” Ma Kexin asked, surprised!
“Girl, come here. I have something to ask you,” Donald skipped any pleasantries and got straight to the point!
Ma Kexin froze, taken aback by her father’s unusually stern expression, thinking to herself, Could the lie I told last time have been exposed? Despite a ripple of unease, she followed her father out of the reception area to a secluded spot!
“Has your Uncle Danny visited here?” Donald scrutinized Ma Kexin with piercing eyes!
So that’s what this is about! Ma Kexin instantly relaxed! “No! Why? Has Uncle Danny been here?”
A flicker of surprise crossed Donald’s gaze! After a moment of silence, he asked again, “Has that girl, Lina, told you anything?”
Mentioning Elena, Ma Kexin hesitated, becoming slightly nervous! “She hasn't told me anything. I haven't seen Sister Lina in a week! Dad, why are you asking? Did something happen?”
“Really nothing at all? Think carefully!”
“Truly nothing! Dad, what’s going on?” Ma Kexin urged anxiously!
Donald couldn't bear to see his daughter so worried, so he replied, “Nothing major, don't worry. I just suddenly heard that your Uncle Danny is moving, and that struck me as very strange!” Donald and Old Danny had been inseparable friends for decades; though they bickered constantly, their bond was deep! Donald had been looking forward to showing off his superior wealth to Old Danny, only to hear within days that Danny was moving, and moreover, planning to relocate to the ‘City of Dreamy Evening’! How could he not be concerned! He had asked Danny for the reason, but Danny had only responded with a mysterious, triumphant smile, which only fueled Donald’s curiosity!
“Moving? Why move all of a sudden?” Ma Kexin exclaimed in shock, then added, “Is this related to Sister Lina?”